Assessing Urban Greening Strategies to Mitigate Heatwave Impacts in Greater Athens Metropolitan Area, Greece

As cities grow, natural surfaces are replaced by heat-retaining materials, raising urban temperatures and intensifying heatwave impacts. The present study investigates the effectiveness of urban greening strategies, including green roofs, street vegetation and metropolitan parks, in enhancing climate resilience in Athens, a coastal Mediterranean city characterized by complex heatwave dynamics. The strategies were evaluated through simulations using the WRF model coupled with the BEP-BEM urban canopy model and a detailed land-cover map that is uses the 11 urban Local Climate Zones (LCZ) categories (CLIMPACT) tailored for Athens. Simulations focused on a significant heatwave event that affected the region in 2021 assessed the thermal impacts of the different greening scenarios. Results show that expanding green areas reduces peak temperatures and modifies local thermal circulations, highlighting the potential of greening in mitigating urban heat island effects.